The Bay Area Food Truck Craze: Trend, or Here to Stay?

Food trucks have been all the rage in the San Francisco Bay Area for some time now, and it looks like Palo Alto’s catching on to the trendy new foodie fixation. 

These trucks, which inspire passionate devotion and straight-up wars in the comments sections of websites like Chowhound and Yelp, keep fans on their toes by switching locations often and "tweeting" their whereabouts to followers on Twitter. The sensation is about as Silicon Valley as you can get: local food cooked by creative entrepreneurs who found a way around the shaky economy (food trucks have low overhead and far less risk than a new restaurant), by utilizing popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to connect with existing customers and lure in new ones.

Perhaps the best example of the fanaticism surrounding food trucks is Kogi Korean BBQ. It’s an LA-based Korean/Mexican fusion truck that’s the brainchild of thirty-year old Mark Manguera, who came up with the idea at 4 in the morning after a long night of drinking, while eating (you guessed it!) a taco. His business plan? Buy a truck, get a bunch of friends and family to post about it on Twitter, Facebook and Craigslist, and start cooking. Not long after Kogi’s 2009 opening, the truck began attracting crowds of 300-800 people every time it parked. It’s since launched a satellite truck in Manhattan, and is responsible for a foodie movement known on the web as “Kogi Kulture.”

Most of the Bay Area’s food trucks are located in the Mission District of San Francisco. There’s the “Crème Brulee guy,” who dishes out the French dessert in an ever-changing variety of flavors. Depending on the night the menu might offer Dulche de Leche, Mexican chocolate, vanilla bean, coffee, s’mores, or even Pina Colada. Fans talk of the crème brulee guy’s caramelized custard with a hushed reverence--some describe themselves as stalkers.  Other popular San Francisco/Bay Area trucks include the El Tonayense taco truck, Spencer on the Go Truck (escargot on a stick is one of the premium bistro-menu offerings), Magic Curry Kart, Treatbot (the "Karaoke ice cream truck from the future"), NetAppetit, MoBowl, Lumpia Cart (Filipino egg rolls), Adobo Hobo, and MoGo BBQ. 

Google any of these names and you’ll find the trucks’ Twitter profiles and numerous blog posts either ranting or raving about their menus. Most of them have thousands of followers--yet another example of the way the food industry has tapped into the skyrocketing business potential of social media, providing a perfect model for real estate agents (or really anyone in a service-type industry) who want to turn their online profiles into offline transactions. 

MoGo BBQ is based in Palo Alto, and like the rest of the trucks can only be found via Facebook and Twitter. Like Kogi, MoGo focuses on Mexican/Korean BBQ. Most successful food trucks offer niche products--menus tend to be small, prices are cheap, and the food is easy to eat with your hands. The MoGo menu has five options (Taco, Quesadilla, Short Rib Silders, Bay Area Dog, and Burritos), and you can choose your protein/toppings. Nothing is more than $7.  The truck is less than a year old, and relies exclusively on the hungry residents of Palo Alto and neighboring cities. As of today, MoGo has over 5,000 followers on Twitter (Kogi has 12,000) and 8,000 “likes” on Facebook. It looks like in Palo Alto, the food truck craze might be less a trend and more a permanent change in the way we go “out” to eat. 

*photos courtesy of SFBlog Pavement Cuisine, the fantastic, James Beard Award winning This Week for Dinner, and SFGate 

A Local's Guide to the Bay Area's Best End of Summer Events, Part 1

 It’s August. I don’t know how it happened, but Labor Day is coming up fast (one month!), which means this summer’s on its final stretch. If you’re anything like me, life doesn’t change much with the seasons--summer just means work with more sun shining through the windows.

But there are still a few weeks left, and tons of great events and concerts scheduled all over the Bay Area. You haven't missed the whole party!  Don’t you owe it to yourself to get out of the office and to connect with the community? Or, if you're less socially-minded, to eat some killer food? 

Here are a handful of August highlights. My apologies if these are skewed toward foodie culture--I’ll include some links at the end of the post for those of you aren’t quite as obsessed with food.

EAT Restaurant at 111 Minna Gallery: Tonight, August 4th, from 5:00-10:00.

One of my favorite things about Palo Alto is that it’s just a quick drive to San Francisco. I might try and make it up there for this one. Eat Restaurant is the city’s only pop-up restaurant (run by chef Tommy Halverson)--it switches venues all the time. Tonight Eat’s at the gorgeous Minna Gallery, and the mouth-watering menu features local, sustainable produce and cocktails developed by San Francisco’s finest mixologists.

Here’s the menu:

$5 SAILOR JERRY RUM COCKTAILS ALL NIGHT!

Creekstone Sliders (2 for $10 from 5pm-6pm): with havarti or blue - $6 each

Nachos: House fried tortilla chips, Carnitas, queso fresco, cilantro-cabbage slaw, black beans, avocado, lime, salsa - $8

"Franks And Beans": Housemade Baked Beans, Whiskey-Fennel Sausage, Bacon, Sweet Roll, Braised Greens - $9

"BBQ" Chicken and Corn: Braised then Seared and Basted Chicken Quarter, Cilantro Wrapped Corn on the Cob, Grilled, then Roasted Potatoes - $10

Red Trout: Dwelley Farms Romano Beans, Blue Lake and Yellow Wax Beans, Ancho Cress, Red Onion - $10

Melon: Compressed Water and Sharlyn Melon, Feta, Basil, Balsamic Redux, Cold Pressed Olive Oil - $9

Panzanella: Heirloom Tomatoes, Levain, Tomato-Sherry Vinaigrette, Wild Arugula, Reggiano - $9

S'mores: Housemade Chocolate Brownie, Graham Cracker Crust, Marshmallow Brulee, Chocolate Sauce - $6

The 16th Annual San Francisco Aloha Festival: August 7th-8th, 10am-5pm

This two day festival celebrates the talents and culture of San Francisco's community of Pacific Islanders. It's a free event, featuring arts and crafts, Polynesian dancing, island cuisine, workshops and educational exhibits, games for kids, and something called an 'Ohana Korner (I'm definitely going to find out what this is). There's no alcohol permitted on premises. This seems like the kind of event that's great for the whole family. 

Off the Grid: Fort Mason Center: August 6th, 5Pm-9Pm

Promo materials are billing this re-occuring event (every Friday throughout August) as a food adventure. Which sounds about right, considering this description: "Off The Grid brings a diverse group of mobile food vendors, with music, to the Marina neighborhood. Enjoy such delights as the Chairman Bao Bun Truck, Kung Fu Tacos, El Porteno Empanadas, Curry Up Now, and Chaac Mool." 

Also, it's in a parking lot. For some reason street food just tastes better when you're standing on concrete. 

FREE Friday Night Concerts at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk: Every Friday thru September 3rd,  6:30PM

The Santa Cruz Boardwalk is one of my favorite places in the Bay Area. It’s the quintessential summer scene--sandy beach, an ocean dotted with surfers, the smell of hot dogs, and that brightly lit Ferris Wheel turning in the background. The bands play right on the beach, and every concert is free. This Friday catch A Flock of Seagulls, followed in the coming weeks by Spin Doctors, Papa Doo Run Run, and Starship.

Taiwanese Dish Crawl: August 10th, 6pm (Cupertino) 

Okay, so I know I've given you three and half food events so far, but here's another local food showdown that sounds particularly noteworthy. For $30, you can join a group of adventurous eaters on a dish crawl through Cupertino. It’s your chance to try Taiwanese food, if you’re unfamiliar with the cuisine. The dish crawl official website offers a hunger-pang inducing description: Taiwanese cuisine has an extremely unique flavour. Dishes range from sticky oyster pancakes with egg and sweet chili sauce to meatballs encased in a mochi-like shell. Sometimes it's the simplicity of a well executed pork chop over rice and served with pickled veggies. If your tastebuds are up for it, you must come explore. ;) $30 for 4+ courses at a few local hidden faves.

Don’t forget to RSVP!

San Jose Super Toy, Comic, and Collectible Show: August 14^th, 11-4, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds

Get in touch with your nerdy side (or make your kids happy) at the annual toy/comic book/vintage collectible bonanza. No seriously, it’s a bonanza--with over 250 tables offering toys and collectibles that range from Transformers and Star Wars figurines to vintage lunch boxes, this event promises to be a wonderland of nostalgia. Tickets are cheap too--five bucks for adults, and kids get in half price.

AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival: August 13-15^th, 5:30-11:45

The San Jose Jazz festival is one of the most exciting and well-attended jazz festivals in the country. Last year over 100,000 people swarmed the Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose to listen to a truly international line-up of musicians. Whether you’re into funk, blues, fusion, Latin, R&B, folk--there’s a band on the schedule for you (Tower of Power is playing the first night!). Check out the official website for online discounts and more information, including past attendee memories of the festival, and the details on joining a Salsa Flash Mob… Tickets go fast!

Shakespeare Santa Cruz: shows run through August 29^th, weekend matinees at 2pm, weeknight shows at 7:30 & 8:00

A couple of years ago I saw the Shakespeare Santa Cruz production of Beckett’s End Game on the mainstage, and couldn’t have been more impressed with the quality of the performances, the gorgeous and bleak set design, and the directorial interpretation of such a difficult play. There’s world-class theater happening right in our neighborhood, and you really shouldn’t miss it--there’s something spectacular about seeing a show outdoors in the Festival Glen, as the sky darkens and the redwoods seem to creep closer to listen. Starting at $15 a pop, tickets are cheap. August offerings include The Lion in Winter (a contemporary family drama), Love’s Labor’s Lost, and the heart-searing Othello.

OTHER EVENT RESOURCES

SFGATE

YELP

PALO ALTO ONLINE

BAY AREA EVENTS

*photos courtesy of Planetware and SFGate Blog 

Palo Alto Farmers' Market

 

Few places in the world make me as happy as the Palo Alto Farmers' Market. Every Saturday morning (8AM to 12PM) from mid-May to mid-December local farms and artisanal food vendors line up along California Avenue, selling the freshest produce imaginable and other hard-to-find foodstuffs.

This time of year is particularly wonderful, because it's the peak of cherry season (I LOVE CHERRIES) which means for a couple of months I have access to unbelievable cherries, cherries so good they ruin me for the rest of the year--seriously, it's hard to eat frozen cherries or even the good canned kind from American Spoon Foods (more on their fruit later) after tasting farmers' market cherries at the height of their natural glory.

As frustrating as it is to know that cherry season will eventually come to an end (as all good things do!), and I'll be deprived until next May, I'm grateful the farmers' market is around to remind me of a more natural way of eating and thinking about food. When you shop at the farmers' market you're fostering a

connection to the earth, to the seasons, and to the community itself.

Because on a Saturday morning during farmers' market season in Palo Alto, you're bound to bump into at least a couple people you know--I can't count how many times I've reached over for some arugula or stood by that AMAZING Afghani place tasting potato bread topped with lentils and eggplant and noticed that the person to my right was my neighbor, or an old client, or one of my son's high school teachers.

So when I mean community, I mean the farmers and vendors, the people who call Palo Alto home, and the land itself, the land that offers up so much beautiful produce.

Really, if you haven't been, you need to check out the farmers' market. There's usually live music, and there's always something you haven't seen before, like lamb's quarters (a wild variety of spinach I'd never heard of until a couple weeks ago).

Once you start eating sustainable, local produce, you'll never want to go back--not only will your meals taste better, but you'll be doing something good for the environment and the local economy. Supporting the Palo Alto's farmers' market means supporting the essence of our vibrant community.

Zibibbo is closed?

I was walking around downtown Palo Alto yesterday and I noticed that the typically crowded Zibibbo is closed. Not sure if it's temporary or what, but it looked pretty permanent. Does anyone know anything about this?

I've always heard great things about Zibibbo--it has over three hundred reviews on Yelp (most of them positive) and a few years ago it was one of Gourmet Magazine's twenty best American restaurants. Which I guess doesn't mean so much anymore, considering Gourmet's sad fate earlier this spring.

Like Gourmet, Zibibbo may have just been too stranded in an earlier time--a time when people were willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money on dinner, when restaurant splurges weren't limited to special occasions. Whatever happened, it's sad to see that pretty restaurant with dark windows.

What do you think about Zibibbo closing? And didn't Spago, another expensive (Wolfgang Puck I believe) downtown restaurant close recently too?

I wonder what the closing of these high-end restaurants says about the real estate market, and Palo Alto's economy in general.

Palo Alto Citywide Yard Sale: Tomorrow!!

Help the environment, your wallet, and the community by participating in Palo Alto's citywide yard sale tomorrow. It's from 8:00AM to 1:00PM, and you can plan your route by visiting the adorable maps here--sale addresses are marked with stars, and little ice cream cones, coffee cups, and froyo swirls represent places to refuel. 

There's even a nifty activity for the kids--Captain Greenbeard's Treasure Hunt Adventure--which uses those fun maps as guides for a treasure hunt doubling as a lesson in waste prevention (and a way to keep the kids out of your hair while you're shopping). Make sure you download the tip sheet. It includes coupons for free froyo, coffee, and ice cream. 

This year a record 307 residents are taking place in the event. According to an article in Palo Alto Online, sale items include an antique bed, a zither, persian rugs, and cigarette-lighter collection. 

The sale is part of the city's Zero Waste Program. Here's how they describe themselves (from the website): 

Inspired by the environment’s natural cycles, the mission of the City of Palo Alto Zero Waste Program is to work in partnership with our community to conserve resources and minimize material consumption to reduce our waste to zero (or darn close) by 2021.

Gotta love this town.

Mantra Restaurant: The Best Deal in Town

Last August I wrote a post describing the deliciousness that is Mantra Restaurant (check that out here). For those of you who haven't yet tried it, you no longer have any excuse. Everyday in the Daru Lounge (a comfortable seating area adjacent to the main dining room) Mantra offers two ridiculously inexpensive happy hour specials.

The first is from 4:30 to 6:30PM, and it's 50% off the entire menu--that means half-priced wines, cocktails, and food. The second happy hour starts at 9:30, and it offers a 25% discount, again on everything. 

If you're having trouble believing this, click here for the restaurant's website. Don't miss the drool-worthy menus. 

According to rumors circulating through yelp reviews, Mantra's shocking happy hour discounts are the owner's attempt to create good karma for the restaurant and the community. I'd say he's doing a pretty good job. 

Red Mango: Another Reason to Love Palo Alto

My favorite latest addition to University Avenue's line-up of great restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques, is perfect any time of day or night. I consider it meal replacement, necessary dessert, fuel, and pure tastebud joy. If you haven't made a pit stop at Palo Alto's Red Mango, you should. The line stretches out the door nightly for a reason--the frozen yogurt and fresh fruit toppings dished out at Red Mango are a thousand times more delicious than rival Pinkberry's similar froyo (that's frozen yogurt for all you non-yogurt addicts), and to top things off, Red Mango's totally guiltless.

Palo Alto doesn't have a Pinkberry of course, but most people are aware of last year's debacle. There was a big fuss when the news came out that Pinkberry (nicknamed Crackberry by fanatics in LA) wasn't half as healthy as advertisements claimed--apparently, the frozen yogurt is weirdly addictive because it kind of IS a drug--they pour gallons of sugar into the stuff, and a ton of unnatural chemicals to make it all so much worse. Not to knock Pinkberry too hard--it still tastes pretty darn good, no matter what's in it. And fresh fruit is always fresh fruit. But you can rest assured that Red Mango isn't hiding any dirty secrets in their yogurt tanks-- 

Here's the official statement, taken straight from the website:

Red Mango frozen yogurt is authentic yogurt, frozen to perfection. Made only with 100% all-natural ingredients, Red Mango is irresistibly delicious and undeniably nutritious. Pure, creamy, and refreshingly tangy, Red Mango frozen yogurt has all of yogurt's natural goodness, such as calcium, protein, and live and active cultures that are good for your body. Red Mango frozen yogurt is also fat-free, gluten-free, and certified Kosher.

I have a gluten allergy, so it's a real blessing that a Red Mango popped up in the area--it's hard to miss gluten heavy desserts when the substitute is so delicious. The Palo Alto Red Mango is a small space, with bright lights and a clean, trendy vibe (and is allegedly owned, at least in part by Yul Kwon, the Bay Area winner of Survivor Cook Islands). There are a lot of neon colored chairs facing the windows (and they are almost always taken) and a few tables along the walls. Red Mango frozen yogurt comes in two flavors: original and green tea. I hear they are testing out a new pomegranate flavor as well, although I haven't tasted that one yet. You can choose from tons of toppings--fresh fruit like peaches, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, mango (of course!), banana, blackberries, and so on, as well as loads of cereals and more traditional ice cream toppings like chocolate chips. An original flavored small size with no toppings is 4oz, 90 calories, and only $2.95.

Here's a link to Red Mango-Palo Alto's fan page on facebook. The page includes event updates, store hours, and promotion details. 

You really can't get much better than that.

Happy eating! 

Mantra Restaurant--California/Indian Fusion

Mantra is a relatively new restaurant in downtown Palo Alto right across the street from Beppo's. I stumbled across it on kind of a whim--my friend and I had something to celebrate, and decided to do so by checking out this Indian place. I love eating out in Palo Alto--there's a surplus of really high quality restaurants here. Usually, it's pretty hard to get me to stray from my favorites (Evia, Beppo's, Three Seasons, Amber), but Mantra came highly reccommended, and the online menu looked inspired and full of twists.

Mantra is touted by reviewers and on a number of competitive, "best-of" lists, and its design certainly reflects this status. The restaurant has a lounge feel, with plush chairs, warm lighting, and a long swanky bar that paves the way to the bathroom. It's white tablecloth, and the tables at the banquettes are comfortably aligned---you're not sitting on top of your neighbors, but you're still close enough to eavesdrop, if you strain. You're also close enough to get a good look at what everyone else is eating. Trust me, you'll take advantage of this. 

My friend and I made reservations for an early dinner, and when we arrived at 5PM the place was nearly empty except for waitstaff milling about, killing time by polishing forks before the dinner rush. We ordered two appetizers. The first was a watermelon and tomato salad with hunks of feta cheese marinated in chili oil and fresh basil leaves. The second was the loveboat scallops, a trio of plump sea scallops marinated in pink peppercorns, fennel, and spring peas, each topped with a cherry of lobster nagu (or caviar, essentially). Let me just preface the following review--every dish we tasted was a home run, with the exception of the chili-garlic naan (only mediocre, especially lined up against all the other dishes).  

The salad seemed like a wild card before it arrived, but once tasted watermelon, tomato, and feta became the most natural trio in the world. The watermelon isn't that sweet, and pairing it with tomato really brought out tomato's fruitiness. It was like a funkier variation of a caprese salad, a summer version or something. Definitely try it. The scallops were perfection--unfortunately there were only three, and they went fast. They were covered in a pinkish sauce, presumably from the marinade, that was like a spicy scallop curry with peas. The plate was clean when the waiter got it back.  

Seabass is one of the few fish I'm hardly ever dazzled by. Previously I've always found it kind of bland, and I often get it confused with cod, as it shares the same blank canvas taste. But our knowledgeable waiter's face lit up as he described the seabass special, and I was sold--when waiters gets a dreamy look on their face while describing a dish, I usually know what to order. After dinner at Mantra, I think I understand that the key to seabass is simply how it's cooked. That's it. My piece of bass had about a milimeter of golden crisp on the top and bottom made out of cooking oil, the fish skin itself, and little flecks of garlic. Inside, the fish was buttery and fell into flakes under a slight prod with my fork. The flakes were creamy and rich. The seabass laid over a cauliflower saffron and pea mash--I'm not quite sure how to describe it. The plate was laced with a tangy plum sauce (not sweet) that brought it all together. There were two sizable endives below the mash. They added a bitter and smoky element to the dish (pretty sure they were grilled). 

My friend ordered the cumin and and pomegranate braised short ribs with saffron-thyme butter beans and garlic bok choy. The short ribs were cooked as perfectly as the seabass, and were at that melty state where you hardly need to chew. The sauce was flavorful---my only criticism of the night was that the warm, belly-filling dish seemed more suited for cold weather than the end of July. 

For dessert we ordered the chocolate pyramid, which was basically a chocolate mousse carved into a cute little triangle with a few berries for garnish. It was good, but a little anti-climatic after such an explosive meal. Also, we were stuffed out of our minds. The texture of the chocolate was slightly dry.

One of the most widespread criticisms of Mantra is that the service is poor. We did not have an issue with this at all. Our water glasses were always full (but not annoyingly so) and when we told the host we were under time constraints he made every effort to ensure our meal moved quickly. The server knew the menu inside and out, and eagerly guided us through the dining experience, pointing out what the chef was known for and what was most popular on the menu.

I can't wait to go back.